Siding assembly



Oct. 21, 1969 ongs SIDING ASSEMBLY Filed July 19, 1967 FIG. 3

. INVENTOR. DAvlD A. GODES ATTORNEY 3,473,274 SIDING ASSEMBLY DavidGodes, Lorain, Ohio, assignor to Diamond Shamrock Corporation, acorporation of Delaware Filed .Iuiy 19, 1967, Ser. No. 654,449 Int. Cl.Etl lg 23/00; E0441 1/00; E041) /00 US. Cl. 52127 3 Claims ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a siding assembly, and moreparticularly to a siding assembly especially adapted to use plasticmaterial or any other material which expands substantially when heated.The siding assembly includes starter strips which are positioned at thebottom of the wood panelling and a plurality of panel sections, thefirst of which snaps into the starter strip and the remainder of whichsnap, seriatim, into each other. Each of the panels is provided withfastener slots and automatic gauging ridges to limit the depth to whichthe fasteners are driven. The engagement of the panels with the starterstrip and each other is characterized by a positive locking action,produced by overlapping ratchet teeth and by a floating hook with apositive holding action. The engagement of the ratchet teeth provides asupport for the panels prior to nailing, and the floating hookarrangement, as well as the nail slot arrangement, permits the removalof a damaged panel intermediate a wall without removal of any otherpanels. Further, the loose fitting engagement of the nails provided bythe gauging arrangement and the nailing slots extending longitudinallyof the panels permit expansion and contraction of the panels. Stillfurther, the starter strip is provided with an aligning and gaugingridge on the rear side thereof to produce a predetermined overlap of thefloor joist base plates and to eliminate cutting of the panels.

Brief description of the invention Briefly, this invention relates to asiding assembly especially designed for plastic siding in which ampleprovision is made for the expansion and contraction of the siding. Eachpanel has longitudinal nail slots adjacent its top edge and a pair oflongitudinally extending gauging ridges, one on each side of the nailslots. These ridges limit the depth to which a fastener is driven tothereby prevent the fastener head from being driven in snug fittingrelationship against the panel.

On the opposite or lower edge of the panel, a I shaped hook is providedwhich terminates in a ratchet-like tooth, as viewed in section, whichsnaps into a longitudinal recess in the next lower panel or, in theinstance of the bottom or first panel, into the starter strip. Thisrecess is defined by an outwardly projecting flange which also ends in aratchet-like tooth, as viewed in section. Because the downwardlyprojecting portion of this flange is longer than the upwardly projectingportion of the J-shaped hook, and because the cross-section of therecess is much wider than the tooth, the locking engagement betweenthese two members is said to define a floating lock in that it permitssubstantial bidirectional vertical movements between adjacent panels andbetween the first panel and the starter strip. This floating hookarrangement permits a damaged panel in the middle of the wall to bereplaced without removing or damaging any other panels.

Preferably, the starter strip and the panels are formed of relativelyrigid plastic material such as polyvinyl chloride containing no softenerwhich has a hardness in excess of 100 as measured on the D scale of theShort Durometer. For lengths of this material of 12 feet 6 inches, atemperature of 100 F. produces an expansion of the order of aired StatesPatent 0 3,473,274 Patented Oct. 21, 1969 three-eighths inches. Sidingassemblies, according to this invention, may expand three-eighths inchin either longitudinal direction. The starter strips do not expandsubstantially because they are covered by the siding panels, and,further, because they are ventillated due to their position. Stillfurther, the floating lock and elongated fastener slots, previouslydescribed, permit movement of each piece relative to each other andpermit adjustment for window sills and other siding obstructions.

These and various other objects, features and advantages of theinvention will be more clearly understood from a reading of the detaileddescription of the invention in conjunction with the drawing.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a view in elevation,partly broken away, of a starter strip and a pair of panel members;

FIGURE 2 is a view in section, to an enlarged scale, of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view in perspective of a portion of a panel member;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view in section to an enlarged scale of theportion circled in FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 is a view in perspective of a starter strip according to thisinvention.

Detailed description of the invention Referring now to the drawing, oneexemplary embodiment of siding assembly is shown in a fragmentary viewin elevation and a view in section in FIGURES 1 and 2, respectively, thelater being to an enlarged scale relative to FIGURE 1. The assemblyincludes a starter strip 10 and a plurality of panels, such as panels 12and 14, all mounted on a wall 15 by suitable fasteners, such as by nails16.

The starter strip 10 is shown in perspective in FIGURE 5 and in sectionin FIGURE 2, and includes a plurality of longitudinally extendingfastener slots 20 to receive the fasteners 16. On the rear or wall sideof the starter strip 10 is a longitudinally extending gauging ridge 22for the purpose of gauging the position of the starter strip 10vertically relative to existing siding in a manner which will besubsequently described.

On the opposite side of the starter stri 10, a downwardly projectingportion 24 is provided which terminates in a ratchet-like tooth portion25 projecting inwardly toward the body of the starter strip 10. Thedownwardly projecting portion 24 has suflicient resilience to permitmovement of the hook or ratchet-like tooth portion 25 transverselyrelative to the body of the starter strip 10.

When the siding assembly is to be installed, a horizontal line issnapped onto the house one inch above the bottom of the low point of theexisting siding or other wood member. This siding is designated 15 inFIGURE 2, and the one inch line is designated 28 in FIGURES 1 and 2.When the upper edge of the starter strip 10 is placed against the line28, the gauging stri 22 extends just beneath the panelling, as best seenin FIGURE 2. By mounting the starter strip 10 this way, the starterstrip covers the junction of the existing panelling and the masonryfoundation, which junction is usually unsightly. Also, the starter stripwill be level instead of following the usual undulations of the existingsiding.

Each of the panels, such as 12 and 14, are identical in cross-section,and, accordingly, only one need be described in detail. Panel 12, asseen in FIGURE 3, includes a main body portion 29 having a ridge 30extending longitudinally of its top edge. Immediately beneath the ridge30 are a series of fastener slots, such as the slot 32, which preferablyextend longitudinally of the panel 12 a dis tance of the order of oneinch. When the panels, such as 12 and 14, are mounted on a siding, thenails 16 are preferably centered relative to the longitudinal dimensionof each slot 32 thereby permitting equal movement of the panel in eitherlongitudinal direction. Beneath the slot 32 is a second ridge 34,preferably identical in its transverse dimension relative to the ridge30. These ridges are preferably rounded in cross-section and serve tolimit the arc of travel of a hammer 35, shown in phantom, in FIGURE 4.Thus, the ridges 30, 34 serve to limit the hammer travel and, therefore,the penetration of fastener 16 is thereby assured a clearance space 36between the head of nail 16 and the panel 12, i.e. the portion of panel12 between the ridges 30, 34. Immediately beneath the ridge 34 is anoutwardly and downwardly projecting inverted J-shaped portion comprisinga first flange portion 37 and a second flange portion 37 whichterminates in a ratchet-like tooth portion 38. Portions 37 and 38 arepreferably identical in cross-section to the downwardly projectingportions 24 and the tooth-like projections 25, respectively. Panel 14includes a portion which hooks into the inverted J-shaped projection 38in a manner similar to the hooking engagement between the panel 12 andthe starter strip, as will be described in detail.

The lower portion of the panel 12 includes an inwardly projectinginclined flange portion 40 which extends inwardly relative to the mainbody portion 29 of the panel 12 and is integrally formed with anupwardly projecting flange portion 42 such that the portions 40 and 42define, with the body portion 29, a substantially J-shaped hook, as seenin cross-section. This hook terminates in an inwardly projectingratchet-like tooth 44. Because the inwardly projecting ratchet-liketooth 44 has a width greater than the distance between the end of theinwardly projecting hook portion 25 and the body of the starting strip10, it is necessary to snap the hook-like portion 44 beneath theratchet-like tooth 25 of the starter strip 10. This ratchet-likeengagement is best seen in FIGURE 2.

After the hook-like portion 44 is snapped upwardly past the hook ortooth-like portion 25 of the starter strip 10, the engagement of theseteeth is suflicient to support the panel 12 until the workman insertsfasteners 16 into slots 32 and drives them into the panelling 15.Preferably, when this is done, the workman moves the panel 12 slightlyin a vertical direction so that the engagement of the panel 12 with thestarting strip is a floating hooktype arrangement in which theratchet-like teeth do not engage each other but can move freely ineither vertical direction relative to each other. Particularly, however,the tooth-like portion 44 of the panel 12 can move upwardly ordownwardly relative to the tooth 25, as indicated by the bi-directionalarrow 45 in FIGURE 4.

The simplest way to produce this engagement is to insert the hook-shapedportion 44 at one end of the panel 12 beneath the hook-shaped portion 25and raise the panel 12 slowly, beginning on one end and proceedingtowards the other end. In this fashion, the hook-shaped portion 44 actsas a wedge to move the ratchet-like tooth 25 away from the startingstrip 10. After the nails 16 are driven to a position shown in FIGURE 4in which a clearance 36 remains, both edges of the panel 12 are free tomove longitudinally relative to the strip 12 and, thus, the strip canfreely expand and contract Without binding. As previously mentioned,nail slots 32 are preferably of the order of one inch long. When thenails 16 are driven in the center of the slot, relative to thelongitudinal dimension, the strip can move one-half inch in eitherdirection. Thus, the panel, which may be preferably formed in convenientlengths of at least twelve feet, is free to expand to the limit of itsability, which is of the order of threeeighths inch for a length oftwelve feet when subjected to a change in temperature of the order of100 F.

The lower hook-shaped portion of panel 14 is identical in cross-sectionto that of panel 12 in that it includes an inwardly projecting portion50, an upwardly projecting portion 52, and a ratchet-like tooth portion53 which engages the downwardly projecting portion 37 and theratchet-like tooth portion 38 of the panel 12, in a manner identical tothe engagement between the lower hookedshaped portion of the panel 12and the downwardly and inwardly projecting portions 24 and 25 of thestarter strip 10. The panels, such as 12 and 14, may include suitableinsulation, such as the insulation 55 and 56, respectively, which mayconveniently extend downwardly into a position to engage the downwardlyprojecting portions 37 and 24 of the panel 12 and the strip 10,respectively, to further increase the transverse force which assures thelocking engagement between the ratchet-like tooth. The panels, such as12 and 14, may include suitable weep holes, such as the weep holes 60shown in the inclined portions 40, 50 of the panels 12, 14. This permitsthe egress of moisture which collects between the panels and the siding15.

In accordance with the patent statutes, the principles of the presentinvention may be utilized in various ways. numerous modifications andalterations being contemplated, substitution of parts and changes inconstruction being resorted to as desired, it being understood that theembodiment shown in the drawing is given merely for purposes ofexplanation and illustration without intending to limit the scope of theclaims to the specific details disclosed.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a lapped siding comprising a plurality of lappedsiding panels on a base siding, each panel having an elongated,one-piece body portion of substantially uniform cross-section havingfirst and second edges and inner and outer surfaces and including:

a first ridge extending longitudinally on said outer surface adjacentsaid first edge,

a second ridge extending longitudinally on said outer surface, inparallel relationship with said first ridge, spaced apart therefromtoward said second edge,

a series of slots along said body portion between said ridges, each slotbeing elongated in a direction longitudinally of said body portion,there being through the elongated slots drive fastener means aflixingthe panels to the base siding with the fastener means driven into saidbase so that the outermost protruding portion of same is substantiallycoplanar with the outer edges of said first and second ridges,

an outwardly directed first flange in parallel relation with saidridges, spaced apart from the second ridge toward said second edge,joined along the body portion outer surface,

a second flange joined to said first flange, projecting toward saidsecond edge in convergent relation to the body portion, and terminatingin a tooth projecting toward said body portion outer surface, the freeedge of said tooth being in spacial relation to said body portion, saidfirst and second flange with the tooth thereby defining a longitudinallydirected locking slot,

an inwardly projecting edge flange adjacent to, and directedlongitudinally along the second edge,

a substantially flat surface last flange joined to said edge flange,spaced inwardly from said body portion and directed toward said firstedge in convergent relation to the body portion, said last flangeterminating in a tooth projecting toward the body portion inner surfacewith the free edge of said tooth being in spacial relation to said bodyportion,

whereby said teeth provide a positive holding action for adjacentoverlapping panels upon snapping engagement of said second tooth pastsaid first tooth and into said locking slot, and the longitudinallydirected locking slot and opposed, substantially parallel surfaces ofsaid second flange and last flange permit substantial movement ofadjacent overlapping panels, after locking, in direction bothlongitudinally along said body portion and in a plane substantiallyparallel to said inner and outer surfaces.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said panels each have aninsulating body on the inner surface of the elongated body portion.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said lapped siding includes astarter strip having first and second edges and a substantially fiat,elongated one-piece strip body portion of substantially uniformcross-section interconnecting said first and second edges and providinginner and outer surfaces, there being a series of slots along said stripbody portion, adjacent said first edge, with each slot elongated in adirection longitudinally along the starter strip, said inner surfacehaving a longitudinally extending gauging strip spaced apart from saidslots toward said second edge, for positioning the starter strip at theterminal of said base siding, said outer surface having first and secondfiange portions, and tooth means, defining a longitudinally directedlocking slot as on the panels, so that the panel overlapping saidstarter strip, with respect to said strip, is provided with a positiveholding action upon snapping engagement therewith as Well as substantialfreedom of movement in direction 20 longitudinally along said strip andin a plane substantially parallel to the inner and outer surfaces ofsaid strip.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 623,681 4/1899 Mooney 85-502,042,890 6/ 1936 Fulenwider 52-599 2,766,861 10/1956 Abramson 52-5312,782,888 2/1957 Rodenbaugh 52-531 3,159,943 12/1964 Sugal 52-5313,161,924 12/1964 Noecker 52-529 3,170,266 2/1965 Roberts 52-4033,214,876 11/1965 Mattes 52-520 HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary ExaminerUS. Cl. X.R.

